Program On Cultivating A Bee-Friendly Garden, May 28 At Library

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Kathy Olson will discuss the habits and lifestyles of bees, plant selection to enhance nectar and pollen collection, and issues that continue to plague honeybees including colony collapse disorder, during a program at Booth Library on May 28.

"Cultivating A Bee-Friendly Garden" at Booth Library

Location: 25 Main Street, Newtown CT 06470

The May meeting of The Garden Club of Newtown will feature Kathy Olson, a/k/a The Bee Lady, with an informative presentation on “Cultivating A Bee-Friendly Garden.” The program will begin at 1 pm on Tuesday, May 28. It will be in the lower meeting room of Cyrenius H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street.

The Bee Lady will share her knowledge of bees and the latest buzz, focusing on the habits and lifestyles of honeybees, bumblebees and other native bees. She will also discuss a number of issues such as the pollination process, plant selection to enhance nectar and pollen collection, and colony collapse disorder.

During Ms Olson’s 35 years of teaching first graders in Wallingford there were no air conditioners or screens in the windows, so she had to deal with bees in the classroom as well as outside during recess. She began researching and collecting bee-related material to help her students understand more about bees and overcome their fears. Her programs became so popular that she was eventually asked to teach the whole school about bees.

After her retirement, she reinvented herself as The Bee Lady and continues to bring her important message to everyone who is interested in bees.

A member of the Connecticut Beekeepers Association, Ms Olson does not keep managed beehives herself, but has a garden filled with foraging native bees and honeybees to study and enjoy. She is also the author of a children’s book, Look, Look, There’s a Bee in the Room, which she wrote to help promote good “bee-havior.”

The May 28 program, which will include a honey tasting following the presentation. is open to the public. A $5 donation is requested.

Registration is not required, but additional information is available by calling Ginnie Carey at 203-512-7320.